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Fairy Tale Ink #1
Fractured Beauty
Beauty and the Beast may be a tale as old as time, but in this collection by the Fairy Tale Five you’ll meet five newly imagined Belles and the Beasts they love.
Angela Brimhall’s beast is a terrifying sea monster cursed by a scorned gypsy. He must risk all to save the strong-willed princess before losing his last chance at love and redemption, becoming forever damned to the briny deep.
Lehua Parker’s Nani is trapped by Indian and Hawaiian traditions and a fiancé locked in stasis in a medi-mod. Cultures and expectations collide in this sci-fi futuristic world where nano-bot tattoos and dreams reveal the secret of Nani’s heart.
Angela Corbett’s Ledger is determined to find out more about the mysterious woman who saved him from certain death and uncover the secrets of Withering Woods, but some beasts are better left caged.
Adrienne Monson’s Arabella rushes to an enchanted castle to pay her father’s debt, but is met with a burly beast with a mysterious past. It’s a howling paranormal regency romp that will keep you turning pages well past your bedtime.
Angela Hartley’s Porta Bella discovers there’s more to Oregon life than taking care of her father when she finds herself rescued by Bigfoot. It’s up to Porta Bella to unravel the faery’s curse and discover who’s the real monster.
Angela Brimhall’s beast is a terrifying sea monster cursed by a scorned gypsy. He must risk all to save the strong-willed princess before losing his last chance at love and redemption, becoming forever damned to the briny deep.
Lehua Parker’s Nani is trapped by Indian and Hawaiian traditions and a fiancé locked in stasis in a medi-mod. Cultures and expectations collide in this sci-fi futuristic world where nano-bot tattoos and dreams reveal the secret of Nani’s heart.
Angela Corbett’s Ledger is determined to find out more about the mysterious woman who saved him from certain death and uncover the secrets of Withering Woods, but some beasts are better left caged.
Adrienne Monson’s Arabella rushes to an enchanted castle to pay her father’s debt, but is met with a burly beast with a mysterious past. It’s a howling paranormal regency romp that will keep you turning pages well past your bedtime.
Angela Hartley’s Porta Bella discovers there’s more to Oregon life than taking care of her father when she finds herself rescued by Bigfoot. It’s up to Porta Bella to unravel the faery’s curse and discover who’s the real monster.
318 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2017
14 people are currently reading
160 people want to read
About the author
Adrienne Monson
15 books67 followersAdrienne Monson has always had a voracious appetite for books. When she became a stay at home mom, she finally listened to her muse and began writing.
She enjoys Zumba, kickboxing and weightlifting. She also loves delicious foods, which is why she has to work out so often.
Dissension and Defiance is available where books are sold. Deliverance, the final installment of the Blood Inheritance trilogy is slated for release April 2016.
Eyes of Persuasion is a mashup of paranormal and historical romance, found exclusively on Amazon.
She enjoys Zumba, kickboxing and weightlifting. She also loves delicious foods, which is why she has to work out so often.
Dissension and Defiance is available where books are sold. Deliverance, the final installment of the Blood Inheritance trilogy is slated for release April 2016.
Eyes of Persuasion is a mashup of paranormal and historical romance, found exclusively on Amazon.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 3, 2017
After having read a novel by Adrienne Monson before, I was curious to try one of her short stories. I was happy that another four short stories came along with it, all of them being fairytale retellings. If you know how much I loved The Lunar Chronicles and also The Wrath and the Dawn, then you might already have figured out how much I love any kind of retelling whatsoever. Anyway, it made me really eager to read this short story collection. I’ll do little reviews for each short story.
Beauty and the Beast: This first story wasn’t quite to my taste. Although it wasn’t bad, I just have to say that it was too… bizarre? The villain had a way of talking that represented where she came from, so she never spoke in complete sentences. I don’t know why that always bothers me, but it bothered me here too. I also felt like all the good characters didn’t make it to the end, and all the bad ones – who had very few redeeming qualities, did. It made me a little frustrated. So I’ll give this one 3 stars.
Nani’s Kiss: I really loved this short story! I only wish it had been longer. It’s a sci-fi retelling, and I loved the culture the author managed to create, and the world she managed to build, in so few words. I would’ve wanted to explore it further (hence wanting more of the story.) I liked the characters a lot. The ending was a bit… weird? But still pretty good. I would give this one 4 stars.
Withering Woods: Although this wasn’t a bad story, I got the sense that it was a tad bit under developed. I feel like it had more to do with it needing to be a short story than anything else. Although I liked the characters and the creepy setting, I wanted the world and the Screamers to be a bit more developed. The plot was quite rushed as well, amounting to very little. But there was such a good message brought across about love, and beauty, which I had to appreciate and made up for the plot line quite a bit. I would give this one 3 stars.
Arabella’s Story: This one was by far my favourite of the collection. It was perfect! I liked the adapted fairytale, and how it made a lot more sense this way. Arabella’s character was realistic, and she was the kind of person I’d love to have as a friend. There was a brilliant plot twist – I didn’t even know short stories could do plot twists this well, and I really liked the message the story brought across. The romance moved a bit too fast, especially at the end. But I’m chalking it down to trying to bring a complete story into a short amount of words. So I’m still giving it 5 stars.
Inner Beauty and the Beast: I felt like it was such a shame to end the collection with this story. The world building was okay, but a bit rushed because the story was so short. The main character struck me as cruel – but she was supposed to be, so that was okay. But she was far too judgmental, and she never respected other people’s lifestyles or opinions. When she wanted something, she would do whatever she could to get it. If someone’s morals and values were different from her own she couldn’t see it from their perspective. Instead, she was overly cruel. It actually offended me a bit, because of the rudeness with which she spoke of values others supported. I couldn’t enjoy this one for that reason, at all. I’d have to give it 1 star.
All in all, this was a decent collection. I quite enjoyed reading the range of stories and seeing how the adapted them to fit their own ideas. Some stories were better than others, but I have yet to come across a collection where I enjoyed each and every story. So I understand!
This review and others can be found on Olivia's Catastrophe: http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/20...
Beauty and the Beast: This first story wasn’t quite to my taste. Although it wasn’t bad, I just have to say that it was too… bizarre? The villain had a way of talking that represented where she came from, so she never spoke in complete sentences. I don’t know why that always bothers me, but it bothered me here too. I also felt like all the good characters didn’t make it to the end, and all the bad ones – who had very few redeeming qualities, did. It made me a little frustrated. So I’ll give this one 3 stars.
Nani’s Kiss: I really loved this short story! I only wish it had been longer. It’s a sci-fi retelling, and I loved the culture the author managed to create, and the world she managed to build, in so few words. I would’ve wanted to explore it further (hence wanting more of the story.) I liked the characters a lot. The ending was a bit… weird? But still pretty good. I would give this one 4 stars.
Withering Woods: Although this wasn’t a bad story, I got the sense that it was a tad bit under developed. I feel like it had more to do with it needing to be a short story than anything else. Although I liked the characters and the creepy setting, I wanted the world and the Screamers to be a bit more developed. The plot was quite rushed as well, amounting to very little. But there was such a good message brought across about love, and beauty, which I had to appreciate and made up for the plot line quite a bit. I would give this one 3 stars.
Arabella’s Story: This one was by far my favourite of the collection. It was perfect! I liked the adapted fairytale, and how it made a lot more sense this way. Arabella’s character was realistic, and she was the kind of person I’d love to have as a friend. There was a brilliant plot twist – I didn’t even know short stories could do plot twists this well, and I really liked the message the story brought across. The romance moved a bit too fast, especially at the end. But I’m chalking it down to trying to bring a complete story into a short amount of words. So I’m still giving it 5 stars.
Inner Beauty and the Beast: I felt like it was such a shame to end the collection with this story. The world building was okay, but a bit rushed because the story was so short. The main character struck me as cruel – but she was supposed to be, so that was okay. But she was far too judgmental, and she never respected other people’s lifestyles or opinions. When she wanted something, she would do whatever she could to get it. If someone’s morals and values were different from her own she couldn’t see it from their perspective. Instead, she was overly cruel. It actually offended me a bit, because of the rudeness with which she spoke of values others supported. I couldn’t enjoy this one for that reason, at all. I’d have to give it 1 star.
All in all, this was a decent collection. I quite enjoyed reading the range of stories and seeing how the adapted them to fit their own ideas. Some stories were better than others, but I have yet to come across a collection where I enjoyed each and every story. So I understand!
This review and others can be found on Olivia's Catastrophe: http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/20...
May 27, 2020
"Arabella's Story" by Adrienne Monson was the only retelling I somewhat liked from this anthology, even though I don't think it quite got the essence of the Beauty & Beast fairy tale.
May 28, 2017
I've received an eARC in exchange for an honest review
In my blog I haven't given a full rating but here I'm rounding it to 2*
Read my review in Portuguese: http://pepitamagica.blogspot.co.uk/20...
Of the five stories that make this anthology, I can only say I liked two of them, one written by Adrienne Monson, the writer who contacted me and the one I had already read before. When I spoke to her, she told me this anthology would be of retellings of Beauty and the Beast – which I love – so I was pretty excited. It was the worst that could have happened, because I it made me even more disappointed with the stories.
Briefly mentioning which one of them, the first one, by Angela Brimhall, for me, is a mix of a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and the Little Mermaid. We have a gypsy girl who has a magical rose and thinks herself in love with a prince (which she had never met) who, when he meets her, tries to give her a chance. His brother, however, doesn’t believe her when she asks for help and she curses him (making him part shark) and his lineage, so that they’ll all die if they sail the ocean. Until she discovers a king of that same lineage that has a queen and twin babies (a boy and a girl) and that is part of a shipwreck (caused by her) and makes him take a deal so that he can go back to his wife and children – which he thinks is a good idea, because the other option was him dying, as well as his wife and babies. The deal is that seventeen years from that day, the children will be given to the witch and live with her in the ocean. The beast, Mathias (the prince turned shark) is cursed and sees the baby girl growing in the eyes of her father, and he falls in love with her. There are a few adventures in the middle and a plan is made to escape the witch. The surprise and twist was very obvious to me right from the beginning. It’s a shame because I really wanted to like it, but it was a very weak story for me. 1.75*
The second one (by Lehua Parker) started bad, improved and when I thought it might not be so bad after all it just went downhill. It’s a mix between Indian and Hawaiian traditions within a futuristic/robotic plot. It was just so… weird… It made no sense for me. Maybe I missed the point of the story? I don’t know, I just think in the end it wasn’t something I liked and was it confusing. 1.5*
The third story, by Angela Corbett, was way better. I liked the paranormal story, the romance and the background and common ground that united the main characters. It was a story that kept me hooked up wanting to know more, and even though there were one or two points that could have been improved, it was way, way more pleasant to read than the previous stories. 3.5*
Adrienne Monson, who wrote the forth story, was very true to the original story (not the Disney Beauty and the Beast), with a mix of paranormal in it – which I liked. This one and the previous story were my favourites, and are pretty much on the same level. I loved that the Beast had the power within himself to change his monstrous appearance, and how he learned to change his own view of the world. Arabella was a great character, so true to herself, I barely remember what she looked like, but I remember she was always, always kind and tried to see the best in every situation, never ceasing to be strong. We also had a “Gaston” character, that made a small appearance and I liked that connection. 3.75*
Finally, we had a story by Angela Hartley, which was a mix of Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast and Big Foot. It didn’t work for me. The only part that made some sense was the end, when Porta Bella did something selfless (and even it had something of selfish in my mind). All the mix with the fairies, and Tinkerbell and Big Foot… It was very weird. I would have liked to know more about Tom (Big Foot), and the girl he had originally loved, and how he took care of Bella… And the fact that the novella had a non-binary main character could have been so much more explored and developed!!! And another find I ended up not liking was the fact that it was written in the first person – don’t get me wrong, I usually like that, but I found Bella to be so pretentious and annoying and I just couldn’t like her at all. And Tom felt like such a weak character, so left out… And we don’t know what happened to Bella’s father or her “sisters”, it’s just a big mess with no sense. It was a disappointment. 1.5*
In my blog I haven't given a full rating but here I'm rounding it to 2*
Read my review in Portuguese: http://pepitamagica.blogspot.co.uk/20...
Of the five stories that make this anthology, I can only say I liked two of them, one written by Adrienne Monson, the writer who contacted me and the one I had already read before. When I spoke to her, she told me this anthology would be of retellings of Beauty and the Beast – which I love – so I was pretty excited. It was the worst that could have happened, because I it made me even more disappointed with the stories.
Briefly mentioning which one of them, the first one, by Angela Brimhall, for me, is a mix of a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and the Little Mermaid. We have a gypsy girl who has a magical rose and thinks herself in love with a prince (which she had never met) who, when he meets her, tries to give her a chance. His brother, however, doesn’t believe her when she asks for help and she curses him (making him part shark) and his lineage, so that they’ll all die if they sail the ocean. Until she discovers a king of that same lineage that has a queen and twin babies (a boy and a girl) and that is part of a shipwreck (caused by her) and makes him take a deal so that he can go back to his wife and children – which he thinks is a good idea, because the other option was him dying, as well as his wife and babies. The deal is that seventeen years from that day, the children will be given to the witch and live with her in the ocean. The beast, Mathias (the prince turned shark) is cursed and sees the baby girl growing in the eyes of her father, and he falls in love with her. There are a few adventures in the middle and a plan is made to escape the witch. The surprise and twist was very obvious to me right from the beginning. It’s a shame because I really wanted to like it, but it was a very weak story for me. 1.75*
The second one (by Lehua Parker) started bad, improved and when I thought it might not be so bad after all it just went downhill. It’s a mix between Indian and Hawaiian traditions within a futuristic/robotic plot. It was just so… weird… It made no sense for me. Maybe I missed the point of the story? I don’t know, I just think in the end it wasn’t something I liked and was it confusing. 1.5*
The third story, by Angela Corbett, was way better. I liked the paranormal story, the romance and the background and common ground that united the main characters. It was a story that kept me hooked up wanting to know more, and even though there were one or two points that could have been improved, it was way, way more pleasant to read than the previous stories. 3.5*
Adrienne Monson, who wrote the forth story, was very true to the original story (not the Disney Beauty and the Beast), with a mix of paranormal in it – which I liked. This one and the previous story were my favourites, and are pretty much on the same level. I loved that the Beast had the power within himself to change his monstrous appearance, and how he learned to change his own view of the world. Arabella was a great character, so true to herself, I barely remember what she looked like, but I remember she was always, always kind and tried to see the best in every situation, never ceasing to be strong. We also had a “Gaston” character, that made a small appearance and I liked that connection. 3.75*
Finally, we had a story by Angela Hartley, which was a mix of Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast and Big Foot. It didn’t work for me. The only part that made some sense was the end, when Porta Bella did something selfless (and even it had something of selfish in my mind). All the mix with the fairies, and Tinkerbell and Big Foot… It was very weird. I would have liked to know more about Tom (Big Foot), and the girl he had originally loved, and how he took care of Bella… And the fact that the novella had a non-binary main character could have been so much more explored and developed!!! And another find I ended up not liking was the fact that it was written in the first person – don’t get me wrong, I usually like that, but I found Bella to be so pretentious and annoying and I just couldn’t like her at all. And Tom felt like such a weak character, so left out… And we don’t know what happened to Bella’s father or her “sisters”, it’s just a big mess with no sense. It was a disappointment. 1.5*
June 1, 2017
Fractured Beauty *3.6 stars* 06/01/2017
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I received this ARC of Fractured Beauty from The Fairy Tale Five in exchange of an honest review. They are a group of five independent authors who write in different genres, giving us five retellings of Beauty and the Beast from the authors: Adrienne Monson, Angela Brimhall, Angela Corbett, Angela Hartley and Lehua Parker.
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Beauty and the Beast by Angela Brimhall *4 stars*
I liked this story, I think the idea was different and original, but felt too long and that made the pace slow for me. The writing style was beautiful. The plot development in general was good but sometimes I felt like some details were unnecessary while others should be added and weren't. I felt some connection with the characters too.
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Nani’s Kiss by Lehua Parker *3 stars*
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I didn't connect much with this story. The character's name were hard for me to keep in mind. I couldn't fully grasp the Fractured Beauty as the story was hard for me to understand. However, evaluating the story in general I think the end was cute and I liked the end.
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Withering Woods by Angela Corbett *4 stars*
I liked this story a lot. The romance was good and there was longing too, but I think the two Povs in this case gave away what could be a little bit of mystery. The story was a little bit repetitive too. The way the characters told so many times about the thoughts about themselves or how they felt regarding one another or situation, sounded forced, like they were trying to convince me to understand them instead of letting me feel and know by their actions. But at the end the romance won me over.
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Arabella’s Story by Adrienne Monson *5 stars*
I loved this one from beginning to end. The writing was simple and objective but held the better quality I can find on a writing, the story was showed instead of being told. It was the only time is this entire book that I could simply feel and know easily what the characters were going through. I connected very easily with all of them and the plot was very well developed and easy to understand. I loved the Belle from this story, she was my favorite of all of them. Charismatic, fair, smart, and courageous but not entirely fearless, what made her more real and that made me feel closer to her. Every question I had was answered on the book and the pace was perfect. I was very surprised with the end, I did not see that coming and more surprised for the fact that the author was able to surprise me, what has not been easy lately.
I'm familiar with the author's work and I can tell you that she evolved a lot as a writer, becoming even better than she was.
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Inner Beauty and The Beast by Angela Hartley *2 stars*
I really don't like to rate books low but I have to be honest. I didn't really like this story. I think the author put too many things on the same plot, mixed the characters too much, maybe trying to make something different, but it didn't make work for me. The story felt a little loose. I didn't like the Belle on this story. I found her pretentious, immature and confusing. I didn't understand the point on some details that didn't contribute with anything to the story. It made me roll my eyes and that is not something I do often. There was not enough about her family and I the end felt abrupt, trying to put things together to make sense when nothing really did. Unfortunately, I can't give a better rate and I'm doing something I really don't like by giving a bad review, but I am hoping the author takes this critique in a positive way to improve her work. The potential is there, she has a lot of imagination and this can certainly be used on books.
*Overall 3.6 stars*
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.
I received this ARC of Fractured Beauty from The Fairy Tale Five in exchange of an honest review. They are a group of five independent authors who write in different genres, giving us five retellings of Beauty and the Beast from the authors: Adrienne Monson, Angela Brimhall, Angela Corbett, Angela Hartley and Lehua Parker.
.
.
Beauty and the Beast by Angela Brimhall *4 stars*
I liked this story, I think the idea was different and original, but felt too long and that made the pace slow for me. The writing style was beautiful. The plot development in general was good but sometimes I felt like some details were unnecessary while others should be added and weren't. I felt some connection with the characters too.
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.
.
Nani’s Kiss by Lehua Parker *3 stars*
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I didn't connect much with this story. The character's name were hard for me to keep in mind. I couldn't fully grasp the Fractured Beauty as the story was hard for me to understand. However, evaluating the story in general I think the end was cute and I liked the end.
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.
Withering Woods by Angela Corbett *4 stars*
I liked this story a lot. The romance was good and there was longing too, but I think the two Povs in this case gave away what could be a little bit of mystery. The story was a little bit repetitive too. The way the characters told so many times about the thoughts about themselves or how they felt regarding one another or situation, sounded forced, like they were trying to convince me to understand them instead of letting me feel and know by their actions. But at the end the romance won me over.
.
.
Arabella’s Story by Adrienne Monson *5 stars*
I loved this one from beginning to end. The writing was simple and objective but held the better quality I can find on a writing, the story was showed instead of being told. It was the only time is this entire book that I could simply feel and know easily what the characters were going through. I connected very easily with all of them and the plot was very well developed and easy to understand. I loved the Belle from this story, she was my favorite of all of them. Charismatic, fair, smart, and courageous but not entirely fearless, what made her more real and that made me feel closer to her. Every question I had was answered on the book and the pace was perfect. I was very surprised with the end, I did not see that coming and more surprised for the fact that the author was able to surprise me, what has not been easy lately.
I'm familiar with the author's work and I can tell you that she evolved a lot as a writer, becoming even better than she was.
.
.
Inner Beauty and The Beast by Angela Hartley *2 stars*
I really don't like to rate books low but I have to be honest. I didn't really like this story. I think the author put too many things on the same plot, mixed the characters too much, maybe trying to make something different, but it didn't make work for me. The story felt a little loose. I didn't like the Belle on this story. I found her pretentious, immature and confusing. I didn't understand the point on some details that didn't contribute with anything to the story. It made me roll my eyes and that is not something I do often. There was not enough about her family and I the end felt abrupt, trying to put things together to make sense when nothing really did. Unfortunately, I can't give a better rate and I'm doing something I really don't like by giving a bad review, but I am hoping the author takes this critique in a positive way to improve her work. The potential is there, she has a lot of imagination and this can certainly be used on books.
*Overall 3.6 stars*
April 3, 2020
Overall I thought this book was pretty good. It was really interesting and felt like four different books.
The first story Arabella’s story was really good. I loved how it was still the original story of beauty and the beast but with a twist. I really loved the whole story and read it all in one day. I would definitely give this one a 5/5.
The second story withering woods was also really good. I really enjoyed the connections between the character. The characters were very relatable and this made it really fun. I loved the ending and how they accepted each other. I rate this 5/5
The third story Nani’s kiss was really hard to understand. The characters weren’t developed enough, I really didn’t understand what was going on until halfway. I didn’t understand why chip and mrs Potts were in this alien world and I just couldn’t get a clear picture of what was happening. I did really like the story and thought it was really cute towards the end. It was good but very confusing. I would give this a 2.5/5.
Last but not least Fathomless beauty. I really liked the concept. It was very original and easy to understand. It did move a little bit fast and I would have loved to learn more about the characters. Maybe see into their pasts. I really loved it but it did get a little bit confusing when the Gypsy came in. I didn’t quite understand what was happening but the beginning and end were really good so it made up for this. I loved the relationship between the “beauty and the beast”. I would give this a 4.75/5.
The first story Arabella’s story was really good. I loved how it was still the original story of beauty and the beast but with a twist. I really loved the whole story and read it all in one day. I would definitely give this one a 5/5.
The second story withering woods was also really good. I really enjoyed the connections between the character. The characters were very relatable and this made it really fun. I loved the ending and how they accepted each other. I rate this 5/5
The third story Nani’s kiss was really hard to understand. The characters weren’t developed enough, I really didn’t understand what was going on until halfway. I didn’t understand why chip and mrs Potts were in this alien world and I just couldn’t get a clear picture of what was happening. I did really like the story and thought it was really cute towards the end. It was good but very confusing. I would give this a 2.5/5.
Last but not least Fathomless beauty. I really liked the concept. It was very original and easy to understand. It did move a little bit fast and I would have loved to learn more about the characters. Maybe see into their pasts. I really loved it but it did get a little bit confusing when the Gypsy came in. I didn’t quite understand what was happening but the beginning and end were really good so it made up for this. I loved the relationship between the “beauty and the beast”. I would give this a 4.75/5.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2017
Content warnings will be by story
Beauty and the Beast by Angela Brimhall Content Warnings: g*psy slur used (even if used in correct way still technically a slur), torture, death, violence, heterosexual relationships
Nani's Kiss by Lehua Parker Content Warnings: heterosexual relationships, loss of limb, mentions of prior deaths of parents, attempted murder by poison
Withering Woods by Angela Corbett Content Warnings: death, heterosexual relationships, fighting of paranormal creatures, slight stalking
Arabella's Story by Adrienne Monson Content Warnings: violence, heterosexual relationships
Inner Beauty and the Beast by Angela Hartley Content Warnings: non binary main character, sexual relationships, kidnapping
Review can be found here at Blow Pop's Book Reviews. (link will be added after July 1st at request of authors to not post review until then but it's written)
Beauty and the Beast by Angela Brimhall Content Warnings: g*psy slur used (even if used in correct way still technically a slur), torture, death, violence, heterosexual relationships
Nani's Kiss by Lehua Parker Content Warnings: heterosexual relationships, loss of limb, mentions of prior deaths of parents, attempted murder by poison
Withering Woods by Angela Corbett Content Warnings: death, heterosexual relationships, fighting of paranormal creatures, slight stalking
Arabella's Story by Adrienne Monson Content Warnings: violence, heterosexual relationships
Inner Beauty and the Beast by Angela Hartley Content Warnings: non binary main character, sexual relationships, kidnapping
Review can be found here at Blow Pop's Book Reviews. (link will be added after July 1st at request of authors to not post review until then but it's written)
August 10, 2017
Angela Brimhall's version was very unique with the setting in the water. The only critiscim I have is Selina's speech. Although English (or would it be German?) is not her native language, it felt very fake and disjointed. She had been alive for at least two hundred years so she should've mastered the language by then. I also wished there had been more shown during the weeks Avabella and Mathias spent together. Overall though, an interesting re-telling that earns 3/5 stars from me.
Lehua Parker's version was also very unique. But overwhelming with the island culture mixed with the futuristic culture. I enjoyed the natoos. But the story dragged on. Right at the very end when Mutki wakes up, I started to get excited but then the story ends a page later. Overall, it wasn't a story I'll ever re-visit so I give it 2/5 stars.
I'll review the others as soon as I finish them.
Lehua Parker's version was also very unique. But overwhelming with the island culture mixed with the futuristic culture. I enjoyed the natoos. But the story dragged on. Right at the very end when Mutki wakes up, I started to get excited but then the story ends a page later. Overall, it wasn't a story I'll ever re-visit so I give it 2/5 stars.
I'll review the others as soon as I finish them.
June 7, 2018
I really enjoyed this beauty and the beast compilation. This is one of my favourtie fairy tales! All the stories in this were very innovative and captivating. Just wonderful to see what people come up with. I've probably read hundreds of variations of this story and each is fantastic!
August 19, 2018
First story
Arabella's Story by Adrienne Monson
4 stars
Arabella's Story by Adrienne Monson
4 stars
September 14, 2018
Loved, loved, loved these twisted versions of Beauty & the Beast. Am looking forward to reading retellings of other fairy tales.
December 28, 2022
I liked some more than others and it averaged out to a 3. Some were 4 stars and others 2.
March 17, 2023
4 stars to “Arabella’s story” by Adrienne Monson’s was a retelling that was just one-off from the original tale. It had enough twists to make it intriguing but enough homages to the original to make it comfortable. Honestly I think this balance makes for the ideal type of retelling so I enjoyed it. There were ghosts, werewolves, stain glass windows, witches and a lovely jerk of a Gaston character
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4 stars to “Withering Woods” by Angel Corbett. I had been eyeing this as a separate book for a while, so I was thrilled to find it as a short story in this collection! I am not usually a fan of modern day paranormal settings, but this one was enjoyable. It was more of an “inspired by BatB” than a retelling though it did contain a redemption arc of sorts, and a gender swapped love that gave confidence; though the beast was truly a beast and not the love interest. The MMC was a huge cinnamon roll!
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4 stars to Nani’s Kiss by Luhua Parker. 4 stars but, what did I just read?! It’s sci-fi futuristic, Hindu, Indian, Hawaiian. Polynesian, and I’m not even sure what else. It was a really good story and I enjoyed it though since I am not a typical sci-fi reader, the made up words and futuristic lingo took me a little longer to figure out. I REALLY would have liked an explanation of nantoos to be able to enjoy that part of the plot much better.
I do not in any way consider this a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and I am hard pressed to even figure out how it is even inspired by BatB. There’s no redemption arc, and the “beast” does not take anyone captive. The villain is a mother-in-law and a sister, wich seems more like a Cinderella inspiration; where’s Gaston? Where’s the inept father? Yellow dress? Oh, there’s a Chip and a Mrs Potts…..nope, those are the only homages I can recognize from either the Disney or the classic tale.
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4 stars to “Withering Woods” by Angel Corbett. I had been eyeing this as a separate book for a while, so I was thrilled to find it as a short story in this collection! I am not usually a fan of modern day paranormal settings, but this one was enjoyable. It was more of an “inspired by BatB” than a retelling though it did contain a redemption arc of sorts, and a gender swapped love that gave confidence; though the beast was truly a beast and not the love interest. The MMC was a huge cinnamon roll!
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4 stars to Nani’s Kiss by Luhua Parker. 4 stars but, what did I just read?! It’s sci-fi futuristic, Hindu, Indian, Hawaiian. Polynesian, and I’m not even sure what else. It was a really good story and I enjoyed it though since I am not a typical sci-fi reader, the made up words and futuristic lingo took me a little longer to figure out. I REALLY would have liked an explanation of nantoos to be able to enjoy that part of the plot much better.
I do not in any way consider this a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and I am hard pressed to even figure out how it is even inspired by BatB. There’s no redemption arc, and the “beast” does not take anyone captive. The villain is a mother-in-law and a sister, wich seems more like a Cinderella inspiration; where’s Gaston? Where’s the inept father? Yellow dress? Oh, there’s a Chip and a Mrs Potts…..nope, those are the only homages I can recognize from either the Disney or the classic tale.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews